[Watch/Read] Meet Gabi, A Cancer Survivor And A Dancer With A Metal Leg

Gabi Shuttle was diagnosed with bone cancer when she was just 11 years old. She fell on, and scraped her knee while ice skating in January 2011, which led to her family and her finding out about the disease.

Part of the treatment involved amputating her leg above the knee. Prior to this incident, Gabi had been dancing for 3 years. This disease threatened her chances of becoming a professional dancer. But rather than giving in, she opted for a unique kind of surgery called Rotationplasty. It is a type of autograft surgery where a portion of the limb is removed and the remaining portion below this removed portion is then rotated and reattached. For Gabi, the affected area was her knee , which carried the cancer. It was removed and instead, the lower leg and feet were twisted 18 degrees backwards and reattached to her upper thigh. There are only about 12 rotationplasty surgeries every year in the United States.

It took Gabi a year to learn to walk on her new leg, and another year to get back to dancing.

But one thing kept her motivated was her love for dancing. Today, she is dancing competitively and is an inspiration to all of us. She is using her experiences to help others through The Truth 365 – a social media campaign that gives a voice to children suffering from cancer. Gabi has even bigger dreams for the future. She would like to specialise in paediatrics or work as a nurse or scientist. She hopes to one day help find a cure for cancer.

The Logical Indian community salutes her determination and courage and wishes her all the success in her life.

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Partner Story

An Army Colonel Is Changing Lives Of Thousand Of People From North-East Using White Bullets

Retiring after spending 32 years in the Indian Army, Col Chris Rego is helping change the destinies of hundreds of children in conflict-affected North East India through his “White Bullets” initiative. With this initiative, he hopes to bring peace and progress to communities across North East India.

Luminouswanted to bring out the Colonel’s story to the world to inspire and motivate others as it believes that education is a strong tool to empower women. It is supporting Col Rego’s cause through an initiative called #Luminaries – the brave people who stand up for causes like girl child education and make a difference in the society.

Col Rego’s journey started over a decade ago in Manipur when a tribal woman knocked on his door pleading for support for her daughter’s education. Touched by the woman’s story, Col Rego and his wife delved into their savings and arranged for the money for the girl’s education. Two years down the line, the woman returned, this time with a small pumpkin and a shawl that she had knitted, and all the money she had borrowed. Moved and realizing that their money could make lives rather than earn paltry interest, Col and Mrs. Rego embarked on a journey to arrange for sponsorship of many more underprivileged children.

Retiring from the Army, Col Rego took over as CEO of Sunbird Trust, a not-for-profit organization which he founded in 2014. The Trust now sponsor over 1,000 children in 21 locations acrossNorth East India. The centre of Sunbird Trust’s activities is at beautiful Ijeirong, Manipur.

Recognizing Col Chris’s immense work, Luminousacknowledged him as their first Luminary. Through this, they hope to bring more power to his elbow in the notable work he is doing. The Luminousteam travelled to remote Ijeirong village and installed solar products. These solar products will help in providing power to the entire campus 24/7 for the very first time.

The Logical Indian salutes Col Christopher Rego for his untiring efforts and leadership. His efforts are already having a cascading effect on people from across India joining the “White Bullets” endeavour. Quite amazingly, education, in itself so empowering, is merely a means to PEACE. We hope the path illuminated by #Luminary Col Rego and his Sunbird Trust team acts as a beacon for others to follow.

If you too have stories of change, share them with us. And if you want to connect with Colonel Rego, click here.